Railway-rail joint.



@fllllllllllllllilllllillillllllll PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

' E. B. VERNEUIL.

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

ION FILED MA'Y17, 1905 Illllllllllllillllllll UNITED STATES.

PATENT UIFHCE.

RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

Application filed May 17,1905- Serial K0. 260,801.

T0 or whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD BENJIMAN VERNEUIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Batson, in the county of Hardin and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Railway-Rail Joint, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway-rail joints, and has for its object to improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical opera 'tion, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and gen eral assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view in the plane of the rail-holding bolts. Fig. 3 is a transverse section in the plane of one of the securing-bolts. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the rail ends, illustrating the improved construction.

In the improved device the ends of the rails are provided with certain novel forms of construction impressed therein, preferably when the rails are manufactured, and as these novel features are precisely alike at each end of each rail a description of one will suffice for all.

In constructing the improved device the rail is divided longitudinally at the ends and swaged laterally in the web, with the termi nals of the divided portion inclined and with spaced bolt-apertures through the swaged portions, one aperture having an annular stud surrounding its inner end and the other aperture having an elongated socket surrounding the inner end, the stud of one rail for entering the socket of the other rail when the divided portions of a pair of the rails are overlapped. The body of the rail is representedat 10, the laterally-swaged web portion at 11, the inclined ends at 12 13, the spaced apertures at 14 15, the annular stud at 16, and the elongated socket at 17, the aperture 15, around which the socket is disposed, being also elongated, the elongation providing means for the requisite expansion in hot weather. The outer end of the aperture 14 is square or in other shape than circular, and the clamp-bolt (represented at 18) is provided with a portion 19 next its head 20 to correspond to the irregular portion of the aperture to prevent the rotation of the bolt therein. The clamp-bolts are provided with the usual nuts 21 for bearing upon the opposite sides of the rail, as shown. By this simple means a very rigid and strong joint is formed which presents a continuous head to the wheels moving over it, and thus avoids all tendency to pounding or hammer ac tions at the rail ends so objectionable in the ordinary butt-end joints. The irregular form of the bolts whereby they are prevented from rotation in the apertures forms an effectual lock to the nuts and prevents them from rotating rearwardly from the bolts and become loosened and is therefore an important feature of the invention.

Clamp-plates 22 23 are arranged over the tie-flange portions of the rails opposite the overlapping portions and extended beneath the same and formed with depending flanges 24. 25 for receiving clamp bolts 26 27 to firmly unite the clamp-plates and bend them upon the rails. The clamp-plates willbe employed when the overlapping portions of the rails are disposed over the spaces between the ties to prevent sagging or deflection under the pressure of passing trains.

It will be noted in this construction that the vertical strains are borne by the stud 16 and socket 17 and the clamp-bolts 18 re lieved from shearing strains, so that their whole strength is utilized to hold the rails from lateral movement.

Having thus described the invention,what is claimed is 1. Railway-rails divided longitudinally at the ends and swaged laterally in the webs and with the terminals of the divided portion reversely inclined, spaced bolt-apertures in the swaged portion with one of the apertures surrounded by an annular stud and the other aperture provided with an elongated socket for receiving the annular stud of the other rail when the divided portions are overlapped, and clamp-bolts operating through said apertures.

2. Railway-rails divided longitudinally at the ends and swaged laterally in the webs and with the terminals of the divided portion reversely inclined, spaced bolt-apertures in the swaged portion with one of the apertures surrounded by an annular stud at the inner end and with a square socket at the outer end, and the other aperture provided with an elongated socket for receiving the annular stud of the other rail when the divided portions are overlapped, and clampbolts operating through said apertures, and formed with square sections next their heads for engaging said square sockets, and with nuts on the threaded ends for bearing against the opposite face of the rail.

3. Railway-rails divided longitudinally at the ends and swaged laterally in the webs and with the terminals of the divided portion reversely inclined, spaced bolt-apertures in the swaged portion with one of the apertures surrounded by an annular stud and the other aperture provided with an elongated socket for receiving the annular stud of the other rail when the divided portions are overlapped, clamp-bolts operating through said apertures, clamp-plates bearing over the tieflange portions of the overlapping rail-sections and extending beneath the same and provided with depending flanges, and clampbolts operating through said flanges.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD BENJIMAN VERNEUIL.

Witnesses:

GRENVILLE MELLEN, M. C. HIGGINBOTHAM. 

